The Legend of Zelda: Legacy of the Heroes
by ShiningMagneton
Summary: When a mysterious wizard with a dark agenda arrives in the land of Hyrule, it is up to an aspiring young Hylian knight named Link and his childhood friends to protect the continent from an invasion.
1. Chapter 1: Birth(day) of a New Adventure

Kakariko Village- Seventeen years after the Battle of Hyrule Field

The Cuccos woke the village early that morning, before the sun had even risen, bringing the whole village out of its deep sleep. Well, except for one. In a small, one room house on the edge of Kakariko, Link slept in. This, of course, was perfectly normal. It was a well known fact that the child of one of the wars greatest heroes never woke up on time for anything.

His uncle, however, would have none of this. "Link, wake up." He said, shaking his young nephews' body in a desperate, if flawed, attempt to snap him out of his dream.

"Five more minuets." Link responded, still not fully awake.

"Sorry, not today. Don't you remember what today is?" No response from Link, who appeared to have fallen right back asleep. "Today is your birthday, remember? It's the day you head off to Castle Town."

Link shot out of bed at a speed Akos, the towns self proclaimed "Running Man," could only dream of mustering. How had he forgotten about that? Today he would start his training to become a knight, just like his father before him. He had been waiting for this moment all his life.

"Sorry, uncle. I completely forgot" He said, hoping his uncle wouldn't mind.

"It's fine. You have an hour to get ready. Then we leave. Be ready by then." Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

"I'll get it." Link said, hurrying to the door. Opening it revealed his friend, Koji.

Koji was a bit younger then Link, as well as quite a bit shorter. He had short, brown hair with matching eyes, with nowhere near as much muscle strength. He wore a green tunic, patched together with strips of brown cloth and had a small, brown ocarina in his pocket. Playing it was the only thing he was good at, making him the laughing stock of the Kakariko males. He was often not called by his own name, instead being referred to as "Flute Boy." Koji never seemed to mind. Or notice, for that matter.

"Good morning, Link. And, uh, happy birthday." He said. Koji never was much of a talker. Nor was he particularly good at it.

"You're here early today." Link said, yawning.

"I've been up for a while. Couldn't sleep. Decided to come over before the Cuccos called." He looked at Link's still slightly groggy expression. "How long have you been up?"

"A little over a minuet. What can I help you with?"

"Um, well, I thought that since today's the day you head off to castle town, I would… actually we thought… actually it was mostly Malon's idea." Koji stammered. "We wanted to see you off the right way. Also, I think Malon wants to give you something."

Link sighed. Malon was his oldest friend, almost a sister to him. There was no way she would have let him go without saying goodbye. I should have expected this, he thought.

Koji looked around as if in a trance, preoccupied with a strange thought that went through his head. "Uh, Koji?" Link asked, confused with his friends sudden lack of attention.

"Right. Come along. It wouldn't be right to keep Malon waiting." Koji said, grabbing the sleeve of Link's shirt and breaking into a run. The duo ran down the dusty trail leading from Link's house around the village, soon leaving the house far behind.

Kakariko Village sat on one side of a large gorge carved out by Zora's River. The dusty trail led straight to this ravine, reaching a crossroads at a large wooden bridge spanning the ravine, which led right to the Lon Lon Ranch. Another path led into the village, built at the foot of Death Mountain, and eventually led up the side of the mountain. A third found across the rugged terrain to Hyrule Castle and its surrounding town. Far to the west, the castles' blue spires peaked up from behind the hills.

Standing, or rather leaning on a signpost pointing in all directions was Malon, illuminated by the orange glow of sunrise. Link had to admit she looked pretty in the dull glow, which complimented her flame red hair. She was humming a familiar song, one which Link knew well.

"Good morning, Malon." Koji said, attracting her attention.

Malon barely seemed to notice Koji, instead turning her full attention towards Link. "Happy birthday" She said, wrapping her arms around him. When she finally let go, she spoke. "So when are you leaving?" she asked.

"Soon," Link responded. "My uncle said I had an hour." Link could see the look of anticipation in his friend's eyes. "Don't worry. I'll come back soon."

"I'm not worrying. It's just hard to think that after all these years, are adventures together are coming to an end. Remember the fish?" she asked.

"How could I forget?" Link remembered the incident fondly. They had been fishing in Zora's River several years back when a large fish stole his fishing pole. Later, the same fish leapt out of the river and spit the fishing pole back. It scared me, he thought, but Malon would never stop from ridiculing me about it. I bet it would be different if it happened to her. A faint smile grew on his face.

"Anyway, it's just sad to think that all of our adventures are over. I'll be stuck on the farm while you're out, slaying monsters or whatever it is that knights do."

"I'll still be here." Koji said helpfully, aware that Malon continued to ignore him, and that she would always ignore him.

"I have something for you. A gift." Malon said, pulling a small package out from, well, seemingly nowhere. Nowhere on her was a spot to hide something. Link had a few ideas. None of them where great.

Link opened the box. Inside was a small, brown ocarina, similar to the one Koji owned. "It was all my idea." Malon tried to say, though it was rather obvious it was a blatant lie.

"Actually, it was my idea." Koji corrected. "Malon helped make it, however it still was mostly my work."

"Shut up Koji" Malon said quickly, and under her breath, hoping Link didn't hear her. Koji smiled. Malon acknowledged my existence! He said to himself. That almost never happened, unless the subject was about Link.

"Thanks." Link said, holding back a laugh. He slipped the ocarina into the folds of his tunic for safe keeping. Suddenly, there a voice rang out from behind him.

"There you are Link. I was wondering where you ran off to."

"Hello, Mr. Shigeru." Malon said. Shigeru grabbed his nephew by the shoulder.

"Good morning, Malon. Link, it's probably about time to say goodbye. You still need to get ready. Imagine heading to Castle Town in your pajamas!" Link sighed. He had completely forgotten to change. Koji's interruption had delayed that from happening.

Link looked over to his friends. I'll see them soon, he promised. He tried to think of what to say. He wanted something good. All he could make out was "Well, goodbye."

"Goodbye Link." Malon responded.

"Have fun and don't die." Koji added. I'll try not to. He placed his hand over the ocarina, before turning around, reluctantly following his uncle back to the house.

"All you ready yet?" Shigeru asked. Link was sitting on his bed, pulling on a pair of boots. They were mementos of his father, as was the green tunic he had put on. According to his uncle, it was what the hero of legend, who had destroyed the evil god and established Hyrule, wore. It's not that comfortable, he thought, or practical. He had very reluctantly put the outfit on, and wore a suit of chain mail on underneath.

"There. Done." Link said, pulling the boot up all the way. He noticed his uncle rummaging through a drawer. "What are you looking for?"

"This." His uncle pulled a faded, vaguely triangle shaped piece of green cloth out of the drawer. "Your father wore this in combat. I think he said if gave him courage." He tossed it to Link, who looked at it with disgust.

"What is it?" he asked, curious.

"It's a hat. Put it on."

"It looks ridiculous."

"I realize that, and don't care. It's part of the outfit. Put. It. On."

The hat was, for one, old. It also smelled like it hadn't been washed in seventeen years, which, in all honesty, was probably the truth. Opening it revealed it to be a very floppy cone. He put it on his head. A bit small, he thought. The hat flopped down. Probably supposed to do that.

There was a knock on the door. "That'd be Grog. You ready yet?" Shigeru asked.

"Grog? Why?" Link knew Grog. Everyone did. He was the village loner, a pale, sickly man who spent his days sitting underneath a tree. Not even his own father cared for him, and thus he hated people. "Why would he be here?"

"He's taking us. Apparently he has a wagon and a horse. And needs money." Shigeru shrugged, opening the door. There was Grog, leaning up against the door frame.

"Are you ready yet, or not?" he asked, rudely.

"Yes we are. Link, get in. I'll be right out."

Slowly, Link walked out off the house and towards the raggedy old wagon. Why couldn't we just walk? He asked himself. The wagon looked ready to fall apart if it hit a tiny bump. Just like its owner. Link took one last good look at the house he had spent so much off his life in. Sure, it had its problems. The shutters here falling apart, for one, and the inside was a bit cramped, but it was home. And now, he was leaving. Link got a bit nostalgic just thinking about it.

Grog didn't seem to care. "Well? Get in!" he snapped impatiently. Link seated him self in the back of the wagon, followed quickly by his uncle. Shigeru held a large shield under his arm. Soon, they were on the way, the house, crossroads, and the village itself soon lost in the dust.

Link took a minuet to notice his surroundings, which consisted of the large, rocky hills and mountains of the Death Mountain chain. The road followed the gorge, which slowly got smaller the farther out they got, and the further down hill they went. Eventually, the mountains and hills gave way to lush green fields dotted with multicolor flowers. The river sat by their side, a rich, dense forest on the opposite bank. All the while, the gleaming white stone of the far distant castle got closer.

After half an hour of riding, Link got up the courage to ask his uncle about the shield.

"I was wondering when you would ask. This was your father's, and our father's before that. Legend has it the hero of old wielded this shield when he fought the great evil. It was crafted for him by the legendary thunder dragon himself. You are descended from that hero."

Link looked at his uncle is disbelief. "How come you've never told me this before?" he asked.

"It was never the right time. Tradition has it that it shall be handed down from father to son on their seventeenth birthday, the age of that hero. I take this responsibility now. The shield is yours."

Shigeru handed the shield over to Link, who took a minuet to gander in its appearance. The shield itself was blue, surrounded by a silver border. In the center was an image of a great red bird with its wings spread wide. And above that, was the unmistakable shape of the Triforce. The three triangles appeared to be gold, and were flanked by two silver swirls.

"I… I don't know what to say." Link stammered, marveled by the design. Shigeru grabbed Link's shoulder, gripping it tightly.

"Then don't say anything. Besides, I think we're almost there." As if on cue, the wagon stopped. The back curtains flung open, and Grog stood there, waiting.

"Ahem." He coughed.

"Oh, right. Your pay." Shigeru dug around in his pocket until he found a small sack. He opened it up, and pulled out two small gems; one red, one blue. "There. Twenty-five rupees. Don't go spending them all in one place."

"Humph. Whatever." Grog mumbled, before mounting the wagonand riding off.

"How will you get back?" Link asked his uncle.

"I'll just walk. To be honest, I only hired him because Mutoh asked me to make his kid do something. He refused to do carpentry, so this was the next best option. He only does one way though. At the very least Mutoh will be happy. I hope." He took a look at the city walls, which towered over Link and Shigeru. The great wooden eastern gates, which protected the town from monsters, were wide open and inviting. The duo walked in.

Inside the walls, the buildings in town were largely made of stone, and mostly sat to the left hand side of the street. The right hand side was largely a great, stone building, that appeared to be some sort of temple. It was surrounded by gardens filled with flowers of every color. Behind the temple, the mountains that formed the back wall of the town could be seen.

Link tried to remember the last time he had been in the town. It had been several years, and little had changed since. The streets were bustling with life, citizens running from their homes to the market street in the southern part of town. Even in the early morning, people were wandering everywhere.

As they wandered down the crowded streets, Link couldn't help but notice some of the more interesting stores in town. One store had what appeared to be a large mask over it, another was a large tent located a little ways down a small side street, with a group of screaming girls in front. This town is weird, he thought.

It was only a short walk to the town square. Four roads led out of the square. The south and east, which they had just come down, was the shopping district. The western road appeared mostly deserted. Link assumed this must be the residential district. All the residents would be shopping. The north road led up some steps, before leading down a long path across a bridge to the castle itself, which towered over the town.

Shigeru guided Link through the crowded square to a large fountain in the middle. Leaning upon the fountain, was a man. "Hello, old friend. It's been a while." He said, seemingly directing his focus to Shigeru.

"Same to you, Rusl. How's the family?" Shigeru responded.

"Good. Actually, Uli's pregnant." Rusl looked over to Link. "And this must be Satoshi's son." He said.

"Yes. Rusl, this is Link. Link, Rusl." Shigeru indicated to his friend. "He's going to be your teacher."

At first glance, Link could have mistaken Rusl for some one Shigeru's age, about forty. However, after getting a good look, Rusl seemed quite young, about thirty. He had blond hair, yet strangely his scruffy facial hair appeared black, or at least a very dark brown. He wore a white head band and a tunic, with sandals. A large sword hung on his back.

"Nice to meet you, Link. Shigeru's told me a lot about you. We were friends during the war." Rusl extended his hand, which link gladly shook.

"I trust you know what you're doing?" Shigeru asked.

"Of coarse I do! Shigeru, I've got it from here."

Shigeru gave Link one last encouraging look, before slipping back into the crowd without saying anything. Rusl got up from the fountain. "Link, today begins your training. Just not yet There is someone who would like to meet you first." He began leading Link northward through the crowded square towards the northern street.

"Someone would like to meet me," Link repeated. "Who?"

"Why, the King of Hyrule, of course!"


	2. Chapter 2: The King of Red Lions

Lon Lon Ranch- Sometime after Link left

"Malon, are you okay?" Koji asked. After Link had left, he and Malon headed back to the ranch to figure out what to do next. Except that Malon didn't seem much in the mood to do anything at the moment.

"Go away" was her muffled response. Even though he couldn't see her, Koji had a feeling she was crying into her bed. Koji propped himself up on the door to her room.

"It's not like he's dead. He's just off training to be a knight. And it's not like Castle Town is that far away." No response. "Just because he left doesn't mean we still can't have adventures."

The door cracked open a bit, startling Koji. "Like what?" said the voice on the opposite side.

"I don't know, think of something."

"I've thought of something" she said, opening the door fully. "The western woods. We've never explored them fully."

"There's a reason for that," Koji said, following Malon down the stairs. "It's referred to as Moblin Woods. I don't know about you, but I would rather not go anywhere near anything with Moblin in its name." His comments were futile.

Malon led him through the swarm of Cuccos to the door. "Come on, it will be fun! Plus, it will help us get our minds off Link." She said, opening the door.

"Get your mind off Link, I think you mean to say." They crossed the path to the stables. "I am perfectly fine. You're the one complaining." They headed into the stables.

"I am not." She responded, picking up the nearest saddle and throwing it over a large brown horse with a flowing white mane. She grabbed a quiver and bow hiding in the corner and slung it over her back. "Let's go, Epona. You coming?" She asked, opening the stable doors.

"Someone has to protect you from your bad ideas." At that moment, he noticed a man standing in front of the now open stable doors. "Malon…"

She had already noticed "Oh. Hello, father."

Malon's father, Talon, was a short, pudgy man who spent ninety percent of waking hours asleep. Technically, he did own the ranch. He just never did any work on it, choosing instead for his old friend and colleague Ingo to do it all.

"Malon? What are you doing up at this hour?" he asked.

"You mean mid-morning?'" she responded under her breath. Anything before noon was early for Talon.

"Exactly. Early. Out to feed the Cuccos?"

"As a matter of fact, me and Koji are heading out."

"May I ask, where? I hope it's not the western woods." A quick look at Malon's face told him otherwise. "No. Absolutely not. Did Koji agree to this?" He asked, peering around his daughter to find Koji, who had plopped himself down on the stable floor.

"Umm…"

"He said he needs to protect me from my bad ideas." Malon said gleefully. "Besides, we will be careful. And quiet. Moblins aren't that bright."

"I still can't say I'm entirely with the idea, but I know how headstrong you are. Just like your mother."

"Is this a yes?" Malon asked.

"A reluctant one, yes. I've know for years that nothing can change your mind. Go along."

"Thank you, father. Koji, lets go."

Koji sighed, mounting the horse behind his friend. Soon they were out of the ranch, racing across the field towards the distant forest.

Castle Town

Link followed Rusl over the large, polished stone bridge leading to the castle's front gate. Beneath them, a wide, deep moat encircled the castle. Various citizens hung around on the bridge, talking, hanging out. Guards wandered back and forth, occasionally stopping to chat with citizens. No one paid Link or Rusl any attention.

The castle was surrounded by a second wall, thicker then the one around the town, reaching all the way behind the castle where it met up with the towering Eldin Mountains. Dotted around the wall were towers, connected to the castle by bridges. Lookout towers. The front gate, large, wooden, and well crafted, was guarded by what appeared to be a high ranking guard, wearing more ornate armor them the common soldiers on the bridge. In his hand was a long spear.

Rusl seemed to recognize him. "Good morning, Captain." He said, like old friends would speak with each other.

"Rusl, old friend. How are you this morning? Beautiful day, is it not? By the way who is the boy?"

"This is Link, my new trainee. He's Satoshi's son."

"Satoshi's son, eh?" The captain extended his hand, "Captain Viscen, Head of the royal guard, bodyguard for the King of Hyrule. I suppose you're hear to meet him?" Link started to open his mouth, but Viscen cut him off. "No need to respond. I know how this works. You're not the first one Rusl has brought to meet him." He tapped the shaft of his spear on the ground. A signal. The great wooden gates swung open, revealing the castle courtyard. "Proceed. It isn't right to keep the king waiting."

Link silently thanked the captain, and was led by Rusl across the courtyard. The castle was even more magnificent up close. Towering above his head, it seemed intimidating, yet gave an aura of peace. Guards meandered around the courtyard, paying the two no mind. Link had little time to admire the tranquil gardens, as he soon found himself walking up a small flight of stairs to a large portico. Rusl stopped.

"Link, before you meet the king, I must tell you what is expected of you. Only speak when spoken to, which shouldn't be too hard for you. The king will judge weather you are worthy of being a knight. Very few are, though I do not doubt that you will be chosen."

"Very few?" Link asked, "How many knights are there?"

"Currently, four. Our numbers were diminished during the war. Now, the king only chooses the best, so that we never have such a loss again. This poses a problem, but it's not right to question the king." Suddenly, the doors in front of them swung open, revealing the inside of the castle. "That's our cue."

Link followed Rusl in to the entry hall. Red carpets flowed down the hallways, tapestries hung from the ceiling, and the white marble bricks shone brightly. The hall led in three directions, on either side of Link and another in front. The one in front was wide, and had two flights of stairs leading up to another hall with a door on top. Between the stairs was a large door adorned with the mark of three, golden triangles. This one, too, swung open in their presence. Cautiously, Link and Rusl headed in.

The room they found themselves in was massive, clearly the throne room. The walls spread out wide, and it was surrounded by a balcony. High up on the walls were elegant stained glass windows, depicting the same triangles, as well as pictures of three women. On the floor was a long red carpet, leading from below the balcony to the raised platform on the other side of the chamber. There, on the platform, was a throne. And on the throne, there was a man.

"Proceed" the man said, in a large, booming voice which echoed of the walls. They did, slowly at first, allowing Link to take in the sights of the throne room. However, they quickly found themselves at the bottom of the raised platform. Instinctively, Rusl kneeled. Link followed his example, falling to his knee, bowing his head. The king chuckled. "Rise. We are all friends here."

"So, this is the boy I've heard so much about. Satoshi's son. What is your name? Somehow I still have not learned it." He looked at Rusl, who just shrugged.

Link stumbled over his words. "M… My name…? Link. I… It's Link." He said, facing the king. Now that he was close enough he realized something. The king was large, either from muscle or fat, Link could not tell. Probably more the former. He was impossible to miss, with his massive girth and bright red robes.

"Link, eh? Fitting name. You know? You look just like your father. He was a close friend of mine. Very brave. It is a shame you never got a chance to meet him. "

Link looked at him, confused. "But that is not the point. That is not why you are here."

"If you would please, your majesty, why was I called here?" Rusl glared, but Link didn't care. He wanted to know.

The king chuckled. "Yes, I should probably tell you. You are here because I wanted to meet you. To see if you are worthy of becoming a knight of Hyrule. Dark times are approaching, I can feel it. I need the best to fight what is ahead."

Rusl was confused. "Dark times? The kingdom is at peace. Ganondorf has been defeated. Nothing has happened it seventeen years."

The king readjusted himself in his throne. "Rusl, have you heard the stories of Carock? The dark wizard who is supposedly roaming around this kingdom, terrorizing the villages? Many have seen him, reporting grim stories of destroyed villages and missing families."

"I have not," Rusl responded, "I've been down in Ordon for a couple months, and only just got back. But I assure you, if there is a dark wizard in Hyrule, I will track him down."

"Then you won't be doing much for a while then," Came a third voice. It was quiet and somber, monotone even. From behind the kings' throne came a weasel of a man short, stubby with long green robes that obscured most of his body and trailed of behind him. They adorned with scarlet borders, and had a symbol in the middle, eye-like. Link had seen this symbol before, found throughout Kakariko. The mark of the Sheikah. His face was covered in a red scarf.

"I'm afraid, Rusl, that these stories of Carock are nothing more then that: stories. Carock is an urban legend" He continued, "In fact; there is not much use for your knights anymore. They are a relic of the past, your numbers diminished…"

"Peace, advisor." He raised his hand, quieting the new man. " The knights are not going anywhere, and the purpose of this meeting is to judge a new one, not question their relevancy."

For the first time the advisor seemed to notice Link, who noticed something strange. The mans eyes seemed to be red, and burned with hatred. This was not a man to cross. He spoke up, "Um, if I may, your majesty, how am I going to be judged?"

King Daphnes returned his focus to Link, ignoring the desperate pleas of his advisor. "Oh, yes. That. You are to go on a quest to one of the ancient labyrinths around here and retrieve a gem that was placed inside. Return to me by nightfall. If you succeed, you will be ordained as a knight of Hyrule. And if you fail…" The king trailed off, "Well, you will not fail. No son of Satoshi could fail this challenge."

The advisor looked at the young boy, perplexed. "This is the son of Satoshi?" He asked. "I didn't realize he had a son." The advisor looked at Link like he was day old trash. "I don't believe it. Prove it. Prove that you are the son of Satoshi."

"Peace. The boy does not have to prove anything." King Daphnes said, silencing the advisor. "His word is good enough."

"Lies. I need proof." The advisor hissed.

"You are dismissed. Leave us." The king said forcibly. He seemed annoyed by the

mans presence. The advisor slunk off into the shadows behind the throne, and a slam of a door indicated his departure. King Daphnes resumed speaking. "I am sorry if that weasel annoyed you. To be honest, I do not even know why I keep him around."

Suddenly, the throne room doors behind them swung open, and Link could hear a man asking for the king.

"Well, it looks like it is time for you to go, if you want to make it back before dark. Link, I hope to see you tonight. I know things are coming, and I need you to help. But for now, you are dismissed."

Moblin Woods

He sat on the back of the Bullbo he had borrowed from a friend, keeping a watch on this strange figure that was approaching across the field from the East through his telescope. The Bokoblin sighed, leaning back into the large brown bull. They were probably going to turn around at some point. Hylians knew better then to enter the woods. Instead they kept coming. And coming, getting closer and closer. This was a problem

Bokoblins were not known for their speed, with their skinny bodies and impish heads. However, they were the smartest of the Blins, known for their cunning and intellect, at least compared to Moblins. This one was no different. And he knew what happened when Hylians entered the woods uninvited. He turned the bull around and raced into the woods.

It wasn't long before he reached the Moblin village, located near the edge of the woods. Village was a lose word, though. The village was little more then a collection of tents arranged in a rough circle. Large Moblins, skinny Bokoblins, and short little Bulblins milled around. None of that was any concern to the blue skinned Bokoblin. Jumping of the Bullbo, he raced into the largest of the tents, where the king of the Blins lived.

"My king!" He called, in a high raspy voice.

"Bokobo! Just who I wanted to see. What's for dinner?" King Bulblin led the Blin tribe, but unlike other Bulblins, he has twice as tall as Bokobo, and five times as fat. Two massive horns stuck out from the side of his head.

"I'm not here to talk about food…"

"I hope its meat pie. I love your meat pie." The king said, cutting the scouts sentence off.

"Look," the scout said impatiently, "I'm not here to talk about food. I'm here to say that…" He was cut off again.

"I almost forgot. I want you to meet our new benefactor." Bokobo's attention was drawn to a figure he had not seen before, standing silently in the corner of the tent. "He's a wizard." King Bulblin added. The man wore scarlet robes that covered his entire body. A unique symbol was adorned on the front. He sort of creped the Bokoblin out.

"There are two Hylians heading this way from the east."

The king took a double take. "WHAT? Are you sure?" He bellowed, breaking his usual demeanor. Bokobo nodded. "This is a problem. Where's Moe? Moe?!" A large Moblin lumbered in, dragging a large club behind him. "There are two Hylians heading this way from the east. I want you to keep an eye on them, and, if necessary, get rid of them." The brutish pigman smiled, but before he could leave, the wizard spoke up.

"Wait. What did they look like?" he asked.

Bokobo didn't understand why it mattered, but said "Young. One male, one girl. They were riding a reddish colored horse with a white mane."

The wizard seemed deep in thought. "Capture the girl." He said. "Kill the other. And if anyone should approach by the west, kill them. I don't want my plans disrupted."

Moe the Moblin smiled evilly, and walked out of the tent like he owned it. Once he was gone, the green skinned king spoke again. "Now, about that meat pie…"

Castle Town

The student and teacher wandered down the south market street, into a narrow alley on the right. They descended some stairs into a small plaza, where nothing was seen except a small tunnel that led to a door. Rusl was taking the boy to meet the other knights before they headed out, and they met here, in this small bar in the basement of the old storefront.

"So why do the knights meet in a bar?" Link asked his mentor.

Rusl sighed. "It's the only place we have. The old knight barracks were reworked for the castle guards after the war. With no where else to go, an old friend gave it to us as a place to stay." He opened the door, and Link took his first step inside.

The bar was small with a stone floor and wooden walls, with the actual bar on the left and a couple of tables to the right. In the back, three people sat gathered around a table. Behind the bar was a slightly large woman with darker skin and red hair, similar to the stories he heard from his uncle about the Gerudo. Next to her, curled up in a ball, was a small white cat. The woman seemed to notice them coming in.

"Rusl, it's been a while!" She said enthusiastically. "How have you been? How's the family?"

"Good, good. They're fine. Link, I want you to meet Telma. She is the owner of this bar."

Telma took a good look at Link. "I've heard a lot about you. Rusl was ecstatic when you sent that letter. He would not stop talking about you or your father." She smiled. "It's nice to finally meet you. By the way, the others have been waiting." She gestured to the three people in the back.

Rusl led Link to the back of the bar. However, the three knights didn't seem to notice until Rusl cleared his thought. They turned, noticing Link. "My friends, this is Link, the next prospective knight. Link, meet Auru," he gestured to an older man with little hair, but a regally adorned outfit and hood, "Ashei," A young girl Link's age with very expensive looking silver armor, "and Shad.", A young man, maybe a little older then Link, with glasses, red-orange hair, and a purple jacket.

"These are the knights?" Link asked. They didn't look like he had imagined.

"Well, that's what we call ourselves." Shad said, extending his hand, which Link took. "We are more like an independent resistance movement, opposed to internal threats. By the way," He directed his attention to Rusl, "have you heard about Carock?" 

"Just did. Are the stories true?"

"I'm afraid so." Auru responded. "And they say he comes from the desert. Survivors say that he is apparently trying to find a way into the Temple of Time, without actually coming to the city. Also, he's also looking for us. The knights. That wizard is a menace, Rusl, and one of these days he is going to find us."

"This is bad." Rusl's mood suddenly went from happy to grim. Turning to Link, he said. "We need to get your test done quickly, before Carock finds us. Ashei?"

"What?" the girl grumbled.

"What labyrinth is closest to here?"

"Eagle, probably. That's the one in Moblin Woods, yeah?" She looked up at her mentor.

"Yes. That's what I thought. Link, let's go. Now." Rusl turned to the other knights. "Don't let anyone into this bar until I come back." He led Link out of the bar and to a nearby wagon. A road Link hadn't noticed before led out of the plaza, and presumably into town. Meanwhile, many questions bounced around in Link's head, waiting to be asked. Only one made it out.

"You don't think…"

"That Carock is the mysterious Gerudo King, Ganondorf? No. But I do believe that this wizard is working for him."


	3. Chapter 3: Eagle Labyrinth

Castle Town Outskirts

Link sat beside Rusl as the seasoned knight directed the wagon towards the distant forest. For years, Link had been told to stay out of the woods, warned of the dangerous Blin clan that lived deep within. Now, after all these years, he was heading into its' depths. He would be lying if he told himself that he wasn't nervous, but he had to to find courage. This was the first step to honoring his father's legacy.

The forest was in sight, the sun high above, shining brightly on the field below. Rusl stopped the wagon in the shadow of the trees. "We walk from here." He said, dismounting and giving the horse an apple. Link dismounted and followed his mentor down a winding trail that led deep in to the woods.

For being the home of a tribe of violent Moblins, the woods were surprisingly peaceful. The only sounds came from the cawing of the Guay high above and the rustling of bugs in the leaves on the forest floor. Link and Rusl kept silent on the hike, the focus more on the destination then idle talk.

Eventually, after a few minutes, the duo reached a small, wooden bridge spanning a small creek. On the other side, at the edge of a grassy clearing, Link could see the stump of a long dead tree. This seemed to be the destination, as Rusl stopped walking. "Here it is, the entrance to Eagle Labyrinth." It seemed unappealing, to say the least. The stump was located on top of a small ledge, dangling halfway off. Underneath, as far as Link could tell, a small, dark opening led far beneath the woods.

"It doesn't seem all that safe." Link said, cautiously approaching the cavernous entrance. He held his sword out in his left hand, daring something to attack.

"Are you really concerned with safety at this point?" Rusl questioned. "Have some courage. Be an adventurer. But be quick. The king is expecting us." Link edged closer to the Labyrinth entrance, but didn't go in. "What are you waiting for? 'Seize your courage, and protect the land.' That was the motto of the knights', before…"

"Before what? What happened that so diminished the knight's ranks?"

Rusl looked down at the ground, somberly. "All you need to know is that it happened in the war with Ganondorf. The rest is… unimportant." He said this, but somehow Link knew that the man had a secret, one that he didn't want to reveal. Maybe he'll get the truth someday. Maybe not. Instead, the boy looked towards the Labyrinth entrance apprehensively, and slowly walked in.

Malon and Koji witnessed the entire thing from above, having ridden Epona deep into the woods. The old stump seemed a good place to rest, but they had not been expecting to see their friend so soon.

"Did you see him, Koji?" Malon asked excitedly.

"No. I didn't." He responded sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Of course I did." He added, when Malon looked at him confused. He had been contemplating entering the clearing when Link and the man showed up. "I wonder who that man is. Link's mentor of some sort?"

"That is not important. What is is that Link is here. And he must be here for a reason. I wonder what that reason is."

"Most likely his training. He probably has to kill some sort of monster, or something." He directed this at Malon, who didn't seem to be paying any attention. "I assume you're just going to wait here for him to return?"

Malon nodded. "Of course." She turned to her friend. "You're welcome to stay, also."

Koji sighed and slumped back into the stump, looking over at the horse, whose reins were tied to a tree. She neighed. "You think so too?" He asked. The boy seemed to know what the horse was thinking. Something along the lines of "She needs to get out more. Stop focusing so much on Link." Or something. He smiled and closed his eyes.

As Link walked deeper into the old, crumbling Labyrinth, he felt a sense of dread. A feeling that something was about to go wrong. He tried to push that thought from his mind. Rusl wad assured him on the way to the woods that the most dangerous thing was the Keese that made their home inside the ancient architecture. Not the most threatening things in Hyrule.

Eventually, he reached the end of the long, dark corridor, where the stone and earth made way for faded, moss covered tile that looked like it had at one point been a light shade of blue. It wasn't long after that when the darkness faded, leaving Link in a brightly light, medium sized room. Large statues adorned the middle of the room, eight of them. The left ones were carved with the heads of fish, and the right ones with the heads of dragons. In front of him was a doorway, with the faded picture of an eagle painted above. Two more doors were located on the other ends on the room, with torches of Eternal Flame hanging above them. Looking up, Link noticed another torch above his head.

A flock of Keese seemed to be startled by his entrance, a fluttered out of the Labyrinth, screeching like banshees. The bat demons had never been Links' favorite monsters. He chose to ignore them, instead choosing to head through the open passage directly before him, hoping he was going the right way.

The next room was similar to the first, with the statues replaced with a large, thick pillar holding up the ceiling. Grass grew between the gaps in the tiles on the floor, where water trickled down from the cracks in the ceiling above. The old Labyrinth seemed to be holding up well with age. Slowly, Link maneuvered himself around the pillar, finding a door around the other side. Failure to open it revealed that it was locked. There were no other doorways in the room. "The key must be here somewhere." he muttered to himself.

Looking around the room, he could see no spot where a key could be hiding. The walls where smooth and solid, and the pillar seemed sturdy enough, holding up the entire ceiling. He was about to give up and return to the previous room when he saw something out of the corner of his eye. One of the large stones that made up the pillar was a much different shade of teal compared to the surrounding architecture.

Carefully, he inspected this stone. It didn't appear to be a part of the pillar, but instead something added later. There were gaps between the block and the surrounding stones. Closer inspection revealed the faint inscription of an eagle etched into the stone.

Digging his fingers into the cracks, he pulled the block out of the wall.

The block was a box, and a heavy one at that. Solid stone weighed a lot, even if the box was missing its top. A single golden key lay inside. Link picked it up and carefully replaced the box. Inserting the key into the door, he heard the lock click. The door opened, revealing another room, similar in style to the last, this time with four smaller pillars holding the ceiling up.

The door slammed shut behind him, trapping him inside the new chamber, where upon he was met by a small group of Keese. The large bat demons swarmed him, trying to fight each other to get at the young knight, but were easily fended of by the wild flailing of Links' sword. A few survivors managed to escape, fleeing for the ceiling, whilst those unlucky enough to have been hit by the sword exploded into a puff of smoke, the common fate of all the monsters of Hyrule. Link was unsure why they did that, but it was convenient.

With the bats vanquished, Link took to exploring the room. It was bare, similar to the others, and had three other doors on the edges of the room. With no indication of where to go, he started towards the door directly ahead, as that plan had been working so far. That is when he noticed something lying on the floor, at the foot of one of the pillars: a weathered sheet of paper.

The paper was obviously very old, yellowed and crinkled by the looks of it. The design that had been drawn on it had also faded quite a bit, but it was still mostly recognizable. A bunch of rectangles had been drawn, covering much of the paper. It seemed like a map, and Link thought that he could even find the room he was in.

Upon finding it, he noticed that the area above and to the left of the room, as well as below, had been filled in, with each path seemingly leading towards a dead end. The only door that seemed to be untouched was the one to the right. That seemed to be the way to go. Carefully, he put the paper back on the ground. Someday, he hoped to explore the rest of the labyrinth, but not today. Today, he needed to find the crystal and get out. He walked to the right door, heading into the next room.

Unsurprisingly, this room seemed much like the previous two, but this time with no pillars supporting the roof. Instead, a large torch lit the room up from the center, casting a orange glow around the room, leaving the corners dark. Four small pots surrounded the torch, and a door less passage was located on the north wall.

Upon entering the room, a low rumble seemed to echo up from the north passage, followed closely by a loud growl. Link felt the chamber shake, but as soon as it started, it stopped. Something large was at the end of that passage, and Link wasn't sure that he wanted to find out.

Instead, hoping that stalling would give time for whatever beast was down that passage time to leave, Link went to inspect the pots. They were all decorated the same, a faded robin's egg blue with a darker blue zigzag stripe around the middle. Picking the first one up, he peered inside, using the glow from the torch as a light to see inside. The only thing in the pot was a single green rupee, which Link took and put in his pocket. He repeated the same thing with the southern pot, which contained nothing but dust.

The third pot didn't need to be peered into, as the large branch that stuck out made it clear what was inside. The tip was charred, as if it had been on fire. Making a mental note of the stick, he picked up the fourth pot, peering inside. What he saw made him gasp in shock, loosening his grip on the pot, which shattered upon hitting the tiled floor. A single skull bounced off the floor, before landing motionless.

Link immediately drew his sword, the tip pointed at the frightful sight. Still, the skull remained unmoving. Cautiously, Link poked the skull ever so lightly with the tip of his sword, and immediately regretted his decision. Startled by the touch, the skull bounced halfway across the room, landing in one of the darkened corners, again motionless.

Ever so slowly, Link started to make his way to the north passage, his eyes never leaving the darkened corner, where the skull was unable to be seen. Just as he was about to step across the threshold into the corridor, an eerie yellow light flashed on in the corner, before hovering up into the air. Quickly, almost instinctively, Link raised his shield just in time, as the loud THUNK of something hitting the shield told him. Lowering it, he was greeted by a not so pretty sight.

The skull was hovering directly in front the green clad hero, staring menacingly at him with the two yellow lights that glowed in the eye sockets. Two small, leathery bat wings had grown out of the side of the skull, slowly fluttering, keeping the skull afloat. Link had heard of these monsters before; Bubbles, they were called. Hylian skulls animated by dark magic. Usually, they burned with a magic flame, but this particular one seemed to lack that attribute. Good. That makes it easier to take down, Link thought to himself.

The Bubble continued to float menacingly in front of Link, its' jaw hanging wide open. The monster let out a high pitched chuckle, almost like the skull was laughing at the young hero. Angerd, Link swung his sword at a downward angle to the right, hoping to hit the Bubble where it floated. He missed, horribly, as the skull monster threw itself at Link's chest, knocking him down into the passage.

As he struggled to pick himself up off the ground, the Bubble prepared to make another lunge at the hero. However, Link had learned his lesson, and thrust his shield out in front of him. Another THUNK told him that the skull had hit its' mark, slamming into the shield at high speed and bouncing halfway into the room.

Not wasting a single second, Link bolted into the room and made his way, sword in hand, to where the stunned Bubble was bouncing across the room. Before it could recover, Link made an overhead swipe, striking the monster with the blade. Before the sword was even halfway in, the Bubble disintegrated into dust, leaving nothing behind.

As the young hero regained his composure, sheathing his sword, he thought about the easy fight. A simple challenge to test him, he thought. But then what was that roar from earlier? He pushed that thought from his mind, hoping that whatever had made that sound was long gone. He looked to the dark passage, and remembered the stick. He was standing right beside it. When he picked it up, it seemed smaller then at first glance, but that didn't really matter. The length wasn't important. What was was weather the branch would light. He dipped the tip of the branch into the torch, and sure enough, it lit.

Now fully ready, Link started to make his way down into the dark passage, with only the light of the makeshift torch illuminating the way. As he made his way deeper down the passage, the hall turned to steps, leading even further down into the earth. Eventually, he reached a landing, where the passage turned to the right, leading even further down. Link was starting to wonder how far down he would go when the hall leveled out, leading into a large, open chamber.

Even with his torch, Link couldn't make out the size of the chamber. The ceiling seemed to stretch to high up to see, and all he could make out of the end was a small light in the distance, about a hundred meters away. Moving his torch from side to side, Link spotted two raised channels on either side of him, each one filled with a strange liquid. It seemed to be black, based on what he could see with the torch. Oil, probably. He let the tip of the torch touch the liquid in the right channel, which flamed up. The flames traveled along the channel, turning at a corner, and illuminating the side of the chamber. The same thing happened with the other channel.

Now that he could get a good look at the room, Link took a good look around. The chamber was a square shape, about a hundred meters long and about the same distance wide. At the back end of the room, just before the light he had noticed earlier, the room angled inwards towards the light, making the room more of a pentagon shape.

Link left the torch in the left channel and started to make his way across the room, slowly, just in case whatever beast made the noise earlier was still hiding somewhere in the room. He tried to ignore that thought, and made his way towards the bright light.

Eventually, he reached the light, where a small incline, about 20 feet long led up a covered hall into a small room. Four torches stood in each corner, surrounding a raised platform with a pedestal on top. Shining atop the pedestal was his goal; a small, clear crystal that shimmered in the torch light. He was grabbing the gem off the pedestal and slipping it into his pocket when he heard a loud thud in the chamber behind him. The beast had found him.

Cautiously, Link left the small chamber into the great hall, trying not to alert the beast. It didn't work. Stopping at the entrance to the gem room, he found himself face to face with the monster. It was a dragon, which wasted no time in sending a stream of fire right in the direction of the young hero, who darted out of the way, falling on the tiled floor. Now he could get a good look at the dragon.

The beast was horse like, if a horse had mated with a giant lizard. It stood on four legs and had a long neck, but stood about ten feet tall and was covered from head to tail in green, moss coated scales. Two small wings sprouted from the dragons back, but seemed almost useless for flying. But the weirdest part was the head. The head was shaped like a horse head, if a horse had green scales, spike growing out of the back of its head, two large fangs that hung out of its mouth, or a single, ivory horn growing out of the top of the dragons head, located in front of the monsters ears.

The dragon, after noticing that there was no charred Hylian in the ruins of the blackened room, turned its head towards the hero's location. This time, it lunged its head at the young boy, trying to get a bite of tasty hero. Link stepped back, avoiding the bite, but was greeted with the dragon's tail slamming into his chest, sending the young Hylian halfway across the chamber, laying to rest at the side of one of the burning channels.

Link struggle to get up as the dragon prepared another blast of flame. Drawing his sword with his left hand, Link leapt to the side as the stream of fire covered the spot he was just standing. Even from ten feet away, he could feel the blistering heat of dragon fire on the left side of his body, and took many quiet steps towards the back of the room, the side from which he entered. The dragon noticed, and roared in the familiar tone Link had heard a little while back.

Using its tiny wings, the dragon leapt high into the air and crashed down on the floor in front link, knocking him back a good ways. The beast was now parallel to the channel of flame that lit the chamber, and roared again. As Link stepped back some more, he could feel heat on his back that slowly approached the temperature on his left side. He was slowly approaching the back wall, and the beast was still coming closer. There was little room left to go as the dragon prepared to lunge at the hero again. Instead he rolled to the side as the dragons head crashed into the stone channel, shattering the stone and spilling the flaming oil on the beasts head. The dragon roared in pain, flailing its head around as it screeched, its bellowing roars shacking the whole dungeon and sending dust and dirt raining down from the unseen ceiling. Eventually, it turned its head towards the motionless hero.

Link stood still, frozen in fear as the dragon roared again, this time in anger. The Hylian had caused it pain, and now it wanted revenge. It tried to bite at the hero again, and Link reacted instinctively, just like with the Bubble. He thrust his shield out in front of him, stunning the dragon and giving him ample time to swing his sword horizontally at the dragons head, striking the horn. As iron met ivory, the sword blade cut through the horn and severed it from the body, where it fell of and landed in the flames of the channel.

Again the dragon roared, but this time Link has prepared. Running up the dragon, he thrust his sword deep into the beasts neck, causing the beast to let out one more bellowing cry as it collapsed to the ground, dead, disintegrating into dust before the hero's eyes. The dust smothered the spilled fire, making the room grow darker. But something stood out, giving light to the darkened hall. Buried in the pile of dust was a mysterious glowing red light. Digging his hand in, Link felt his fingers wrap around something solid. He pulled it out, and saw a small, heart shaped ruby attached to a golden chain. It shone with the color of the rising sun. Link wasn't quite sure what it was, but it appeared valuable. It was also something he didn't want Rusl to see. Instead, he decided to hide it, slipping the chain around his neck and tucking the ruby down his tunic. Patting his pocket to make sure the clear gem was still there, he left the chamber behind him as he departed the labyrinth.

The sun was still up as Link left the eagle labyrinth, and found Rusl sitting on a log, cleaning his sword. Rusl got up as Link approached, sheaving his sword and placing the rag draped over his belt. "Took you long enough." He said. Link grunted. "I'm kidding. In fact, you got out of there quicker then most ever did."

"I had some help." Link responded, remembering the map. Rusl looked him up and down, but decided not to question it. Instead, he asked:

"Did you get the gem?" He asked. Link dug around in his pocket and pulled out the crystal clear gem. Rusl took it, stared at it for a little, before nodding and returning the gem to Link. "Good."

"What is this gem, anyway? Something important?" Link asked curious.

"Heavens no. It is just a regular gem one of the old knights picked up of Death Mountain Trail some time before the war. It is just an excuse to test up and coming knights. There is one in all eight training labyrinths. Why do you ask?"

"What was the dragon for, then? Link asked, confused. There had to a reason for the giant beast. However, Rusl looked at Link in confusion as the boy spoke, like the old war hero had no idea what he was talking about.

"What dragon?" Rusl said, confirming Links suspicions.

"There was a dragon in the back room. Large, green, it had a horn on its head."

Rusl stepped back in shock. "An Aquamentus. But how?" a slow realization dawned on him "Carock. Link, we have to get to the king, now."

Link nodded in agreement, but another voice interrupted them. "To bad you won't make it out of this forest alive, Hylian scum." It said, accompanied by several pig faced ogres making their way out of the forest. Both Rusl and Link drew their weapons as they were slowly encircled by about eight large, muscular Moblins, all brandishing spears. One more came up the path, the largest by far, dragging a large wooden club behind him. This is the one who spoke. "Get 'em boys!" He yelled, "Dinner's on me."


	4. Chapter 4: Battle in the Woods

Link and Rusl stood back to back, swords drawn, as the band of Moblins prepared to strike. Well, the eight brandishing spears. The one holding the club, who was much larger and appeared to be the leader, instead just waited at the bridge, watching, with the tree branch slug over his shoulder.

Rusl whispered to Link, "You ready?".

"Ready for what, exactly?" Link responded.

"To fight." Rusl said, as he prepared to strike.

"Look at that." The Moblin leader said. "They think theys can fight back." He added, laughing. "Get 'em, boys!" With that, the Moblins made their move.

The battle was quick, and the Moblins were relentless. Two threw themselves at Link, thrusting their spears at his chest. They reflected off the Hylian shield, leaving the pig men open for attack. Link swung his sword, striking one in the neck. The other received a kick in the stomach, knocking him to the ground. As their friends fell, the remaining six Moblins attacked at once.

Link felt the adrenaline rushing through his body as he deflected blow after blow from the Moblins, rarely finding an opening to attack himself. Rusl, meanwhile, was faring little better, trying to fend off three Moblins at once. One nicked him in the side, the other his left shoulder. Still, Rusl fought through the pain. Swinging his sword in an arc, he struck one of the Moblins, which fell to the ground, dead. Rusl broke through the ranks of monstrous pig men, shouted behind him "Link, take care of the others!", and ran off to confront the club wielding one.

The remaining five would not go down so easily, fighting amongst themselves as each individual one tried to get to the young hero. Now link could see them clearly. They were five large, brown skinned, bipedal pig men, each with as little protection as possible to still be called armor. The armor itself was made out of some cheep brass was forged into shape by some amateur blacksmith, covered with dents and scratches. These cheep brass plates only covered the Moblins backs, shoulders, and foreheads, and failed to provide any significant protection. Large spikes from some monster Link didn't particularly want to meet were attached to the shoulders. The only other clothing each one had included little more the grey shorts made of scales, wrist guards, and old, dirty boots. On top of all that, they smelled like pigs, only pigs which sent the past ten years rolling around in week old trash. As Link fought them off, he was slowly stepping back towards the entrance to the Labyrinth because of the stench, trying to stay a good ten feet away from the mass of enemies. One broke free, rushed Link, and received for his troubles a shield to the face, dazing the Moblin and sending him tumbling down the entrance hall into the depths of the labyrinth.

As they watched their friend fall into the darkness, the Moblins roared and rushed all at once. Watching, Link stood his ground, and with a hearty "Hyaaaa!" thrust his sword through the nearest Moblin, pulled it out, brought it down on the next ones neck, up the chest of the third, and ended with a twirl with the sword extended in front of him, creating a cyclone of fury that felled the last Moblin. The battle was over in only a few minutes.

As the dust settled, and the bodies of the attackers collapsed in a head to the ground, Link tool a second to catch his breath, observing the carnage that lay in the dirt before him. Never before had he so much as inflicted harm on another being. Now, the corpses of four of his victims lay in a crumpled head. Suddenly, his heart started pounding as he took a step back. As he observed the pile of bodies, he noticed one of the Moblins in the middle of the clearing struggle to get up. As it recovered its breath, it took one look at its four dead companions at Link's feet, and ran off in to the forest.

Meanwhile, Rusl was having trouble with the club Moblin, which had managed to fend Rusl off just by swing its club around blindly, not even paying half attention to the swordsman's unsuccessful attempts to approach the pigman. "Hah! Pathetic. I thought you Hylians were made of better stuff." The Moblin gloated, as he struck the ground at Rusl's feet, sending the veteran knight falling on his back from the unseen shockwave emitted. The Moblin took a look around at the clearing, locking eyes with Link and his fallen foes. Instead of rage however, the monstrous Moblin just smiled, baring his teeth at the young hero. "Whatever. It appears my men were useless." The club Moblin didn't even care that his men had died. "Didn't need 'em anyway. Guess I'll just have to kill you myself!" He said, grinning, raising the massive club above the dazed and fallen swordsman. "Say your prayers to your goddess, bub. You're about to meet."

Link now got a good look at the large Moblin. It was at least eight feet tall, a good two feet taller then his fallen men. On top of that, the branch he wielded as a weapon was about six feet, appearing to be even larger then Link himself was. His arms were bulging, about as thick as a tree trunk, and could probably break Link's neck without any effort being put in. His armor was just as light as his compatriots, but made the Moblin even more intimidating then he already was. He wore little more then two massive, battle worn shoulder pauldrons, each with two spikes sticking out. Another spike stuck out of his skull cap. The only other things he wore were a pair of leather wrist guards, shorts, and boots. And he was gloating. Link didn't even think about his next action, it just sort of happened.

As the great club fell, the green clothed boy appeared and raised his right arm, covering both himself and Rusl with his ancient shield, tacking the hit meant for his mentor, receiving the blunt of the impact. As Link fell, Rusl got up and swung, his blade cutting through the Moblin's thick, meaty left arm and cleaving it from his body, separated at the elbow. The Moblin roared in pain as his arm and weapon fell to the ground, useless, clutching his bleeding stump. "You'll pay for that! You and all your kind! Don't think that just because you won today, you're safe for the future. You have not seen the last of us. Hear me! I am Moe, greatest of Moblins under King Bulblin, and I will have my revenge." He looked up at the old stump that sat above the entrance to the Eagle Labyrinth, and smiled. "And it will happen soon. Our master wants something, and he will get it." He grunted one last time, before slipping of into the woods.

As Moe left, Rusl quickly turned his attention to his fallen student, helping him off the ground. "You alright?" He asked, looking at Link's shield arm. Despite receiving the full blunt of the clubs impact, the shield carried nary a scratch, still looking as new as it did the day it was forged.

"I'm fine." Link said as he picked up his sword, still coated in the blood of the Moblins he had felled. He looked at it, disgusted, then wiped it off on the grass and sheathed it. He never took his eyes off the pile of Moblins near the entrance of the labyrinth, nor the one he had felled in the middle of the clearing. The once tranquil grove had become something of a warzone, coated in the blood of the fallen Moblins.

"It was bound to happen at some point." Rusl said, refearing to the dead Moblins. "The Blin clan that lives in these woods has been a problem for ages. You know? They allied themselves with Ganondorf in the war, and fled back here when it was clear that he had lost."

"I don't get it though." Link said. "Moe said that their master wanted something, and he would get it soon. What was he referring to? Was that just a distraction?"

"I don't know." Rusl said, "But they definitely wanted us dead, so whatever their 'master' wants, it is not us." He raised his hand to his chin deep in thought. "I have a gut feeling that the 'master' is Carock. And I think he is trying to create an army." Link nodded in silent agreement. "Darkness is spreading over Hyrule. Carock has made sure of that. War is coming. And we few knights are all that remain to fight it. And it would have been one less had you not stepped in to save me. That was very courageous of you."

"Anyone would have done it." Link responded, never taking his eyes of his fallen foes. He knew that they disserved their fate, but he still felt guilty. They were living, thinking creatures, even if the average Moblin had the intelligence of a rock.

"Not everyone. Many times during the war I saw it. Knights refusing to step in and protect their fallen friends for fear of dying themselves. Fear is a powerful thing. Fear of dying, fear of inflicting death. You accomplished more today then many knights did during the entire war." Rusl looked around the grove, slowly coated in orange as the sun set on the unseen horizon. "It is time to go. The sun is setting, and I for one would not like to keep the king waiting."

Link sighed, knowing deep down that what he did today was right, even if he didn't fell that way. He took one last look at the Moblin corpses, and turned to follow Rusl down the forest path.

"It's okay to look now." Koji said. He had watched the whole fight from his hiding post behind the old stump. Malon, on the other hand, couldn't bear to watch their friend be forced to kill, even if he had to, and was cowering behind the stump as the battle raged on.

"Are you sure?" she said, poking her head out from behind the stump. She took one long look at the carnage and towards Link and the old man at the far end of the grove. She gulped and ducked back down behind the stump, muttering to herself "I'm okay, I'm okay, I'm okay." Koji just looked at her in amazement, as his serious, if slightly rebellious friend shook in her boots, her once purple dress turning a shade of brown from laying in the dirt, and her yellow scarf being used to cover her eyes. Eventually she uncovered them, brushed her long red hair out of her face, and looked down the wide forest road that led through the forest, the path by which they had entered. Motionless, she listened, expecting nothing but the songs of the birds. Instead, she heard the faint clunking of foot steps. Something large and fast was heading straight towards them.

"Koji" Malon said as she sat slightly terrified of what those footsteps might bring.

"Yes?" he said, standing. The sun was setting, and he was preparing to leave, even if he had to carry Malon all the way back to Lon Lon Ranch.

"I think we may be in trouble."

Link and Rusl had just crossed the bridge when they heard a young woman's scream. "That voice!" Link said, recognizing it. He ran back across the small wooden bridge into the clearing, pursued by Rusl, as he saw a figure mounted on what appeared to be a large bull pick up a female figure in a white top and purple dress by her long red hair

The girl screamed. "Help!" as she was slung onto the back of the bull. Meanwhile, another figure, this one a boy in a green tunic, slid down the sloop from the dead stump above the entrance to Eagle Labyrinth and began running across the bloodied clearing. Link ran up to meet him. Rusl yelled after him "Link, what is…?"

"My friends!" was all that Link responded, meeting up with Koji.

"Link, Malon was…" Koji started stammering as his friend ran by. He didn't finish.

"I saw." He said, patting his friend on the shoulder and racing up to the rotted stump, drawing his sword as he went. The bull and rider were already long gone, with Malon in tow, and there was no time to waste; Link was determined to save his friend. Noticing Epona, he mounted her, cut the reigns that tethered the red coated horse to a tree, and raced off in pursuit of the rider

The forest scenery blurred as Link pushed Epona into a full gallop, as fast as the horse could go, trying to gain as much ground as possible on the already distant figure of the bull and its rider. Link could feel the air rushing past him as Epona picked up speed, already gaining on the foe, the gap between them rapidly closing.

Malon had her arms tightly grasped to the saddle, daring not to let go lest she be lost in the forest behind. Eventually, she heard the gallop of a horse behind her. Cautiously she turned her head around, and noticed the unmistakable sight of her friend riding her horse trough the forest, in a heated pursuit of the rider. "Link!" she yelled in the wind.

"Hold on, Malon. I'm coming." With a "Hya," he spurred Epona to going faster, pushing the horse to her absolute limits, trying to cover that last little distance between them.. Unfortunately, the rider had noticed. It was unmistakably a member of the Blin clan, with its green skin, horned hat, mouth covered with a blue scarf, and clothing scraped together by scrapes of cloth. A Bulblin, Link remembered, hunters. Scouts. Those were their roles, unlike the Moblins, who were mainly the muscle. This one was riding its Bulbo and had noticed Link, notching an arrow into a wooden bow and aiming it at the young hero, who managed to raise his shield just in time. The arrow ricocheted and bounced off into the forest.

Not giving up, the scrawny Bulbin knocked another arrow, but this one too was deflected. By now Link was right next to the bull and rider, and raised his sword to strike. Suddenly, all thought of the dead Moblins left his mind. He didn't fear killing. Not if it meant saving his friend. "Malon, duck!" He yelled over the deafening wind.

"What?"

"Duck!" he repeated. The farm girl seemed to hear, or at least comprehend what was about to happen, as she lowered her head. Link swung his sword at the Bulbin, who now stared at Link in fear and contempt, before his head suddenly left the body. The disemboweled head flew off into the woods, the body slipping of the bull and tumbling across the forest path into the woods.

The bull didn't even seem to notice the death of its rider, and kept up its mindless charge towards the edge of the woods far in the distance. "Malon, grab my hand!" Link yelled, sheathing his blood-soaked blade and extending his hand for his frightened, blood splattered friend.

Trying as she might have, Malon couldn't reach her friends' hand for fear of falling of the racing bull. She wouldn't take the risk. Watching her try, and fail, Link instead took the risk. Letting go of Epona's reigns he grabbed Malon's arm with both hands, wrapping his legs tightly around the horse. As she watched with fear and admiration, Link said something that was lost to the wind, but she got the idea. Grabbing Link with her other arm, she kicked of the bull as Link pulled her onto Epona, setting her behind him. She wrapped her arms around her friend's waist, and started crying.

"Are you okay?" Link asked as his friend bawled into his shoulder. He slowed Epona down, eventually coming to a complete stop as the bull kept going in the distance.

"I'm okay, I'm okay, I'm okay." She muttered, just as she did only minutes prior. Eventually she calmed down, looking Link in the eyes with her tear stained face. "I'm okay." She said this one last time, knowing she was safe in the company of Link.

Link stared off into the opening in the forest just ahead. The race had taken them to the forests edge, and Link could the orange glow of the sunset behind them as he looked off across the field. Time was running short if he wanted to get back to Castle Town by nightfall.

Link started to turn Epona around, back in the direction of the labyrinth. "You up for one more ride?" He asked, pointlessly. He had to get back no matter what.

"Do I have a choice?" Malon responded, seemingly knowing what Link had in mind. Link just smiled, and with one more "Hya," sent Epona racing through the woods. They rode in silence the whole way.

It didn't take long to return to the clearing. Link dismounted Epona by the stump, Malon right behind, and down the sloop to the clearing. Link looked around. The bodies of the Moblins had vanished, leaving nothing but blood-soaked grass and the large club. Rusl was sitting upon it, arms crossed, an angry look in his eye. Koji was pacing the center of the grove, and raced up to Link when he noticed him. "Is Malon alright?" he asked.

Link nodded yes and gestured to the sloop, where Malon was carefully leading Epona into the grove. With much coxing, she was eventually able to get the unruly horse down. Noticing her, Rusl got up.

"Thank Hylia you are both safe. The Blins are very dangerous." He said as he watched Malon wiped her face off, clearing it off dried tears and Bulbin blood. She was in a much better mood then she was only three minutes prior. "Now that you are both here," directing his words at Malon and Koji. "What do you think you're doing in these woods?" He yelled, dropping his usual serious demeanor and exploding at the two friends. "Didn't you know how dangerous Moblins are?"

"Yes, but…" Koji started, but Malon cut him off as usual.

"We didn't come in unarmed." She said as she adjusted the quiver on her back. Somehow, Link had failed to notice it.

Rusl looked at her with his eyebrow raise, as if to say "Really?" "Well, clearly that helped." He said sarcastically. "Where do you to live? Kakariko, I presume?"

"Actually, I live in Lon Lon Ranch…" Malon tried to say, but Rusl paid her no attention. Instead he muttered something under his breath about a lack of time, as Link watched the grove slowly being covered in the orange glow of the setting sun. Nightfall was fast approaching. They had only about an hour left to get back to Castle Town.

"You two are going to have to come with us." He said, "It is too dangerous to walk through these woods alone at night, especially with the Moblins angry."

"Wait, you mean you're taking us to Castle Town?" Malon exclaimed, suddenly excited. She had always wanted to visit the town, to see the great white castle up close, the symbol of Hyrules' strength.

"Only for the night." Malon looked dejected. "Once the sun rises, I will take you back to Kakariko. Is that clear?" Rusl asked. Link's friends nodded in agreement, Malon suddenly saddened that she wouldn't get to see the town. "Smile, young lady." Rusl said. "Your friend is about to be officially knighted. And you are going to be there to see." Malon and Koji both looked up in excitement at this prospect. "Ready Link?" He asked. Link nodded, and the four of them, with Malon leading Epona, started down the trail to the west edge of the forest, where Telma's wagon was waiting for them. As they walked, Rusl leaned over to Link and asked, "What are your friend's names?"

"The boy is Koji, the girl is Malon." Rusl nodded and smiled, going back to his silent walk down the well worn forest trail. He appeared deep in thought. Something was troubling the old knight, but Link didn't ask. After the day's events, he just wanted a good night's sleep. Something told him, maybe a hunch, that a good night's sleep would be a luxury he would not experience for a while to come. If Rusl was right, and Darkness was returning to Hyrule, Link knew that it would be up to him to fight it. And his friends may have just brought themselves in. He walked on in silence as they neared the wagon, and said nothing all the way back to Castle Town.


End file.
